TAMING MAX (Completed)

CHAPTER 10 - THE CONVERSATION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING!

I tried to focus on what Mr. Livingston was telling us but my entire body felt numb. My hand was still on top of Max's and I can still recall how warm it felt in contrast to the coldness that suddenly filled the room.

When he finally finished speaking I found the courage to look over at Max. He was staring straight ahead in an almost frozen state.

I stood up and walked in front of him trying to break him from his trance. I knew memories of his mother were flooding his mind as he learned that his father's days were numbered.

Even though it hadn't been long since we started our little adventure together I had seen his walls begin to crack. I have no idea why because half of the time he acted as if he hated me. Even still, I felt propelled to do everything in my power to ease his pain.

Taking his face in my hand I tried to free him from his grief-filled gaze. He was clearly in shock.

"Max, look at me," I pleaded with him but he didn't move an inch.

"Hey, we're going to get through this together," I continued to try and get through to him.

Something about the words I spoke broke something in him. I think maybe it was hearing that he wouldn't have to go through it alone.

Without warning, he grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me to him, embracing me like I was giving him the very air he was breathing. I couldn't hold back my own tears as he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck and sobbed uncontrollably.

I let him for as long as he needed to. When he finally freed himself of me I reassured him once more that I would be right by his side through the days ahead. My heart ached to know they would be some of the darkest of his life.

At that moment, even though he had been so cold to me in the past, all I wanted to do was kiss his face until all of his tears were gone. I hated seeing him in so much pain. I hated, even more, knowing I didn't have the power to take it away.

Not certain what to do next, I decided to sit back down next to him taking his hand in mine once more. It wasn't until then that I realized his father had been silent through our entire exchange. He had been watching us silently and I wondered what must have been going through his mind.

After Max had a moment to catch his breath his father began to speak again.

"Lillie, sweetheart, I would like to speak with Max alone and wondered if you might give us some privacy."

I didn't feel right leaving Max alone. His father seemed like a kind enough man but a powerful one as well. Whatever he had to tell Max, he had already crushed him enough for one day.

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked Max.

He just nodded his head letting me know he would be but when I got up to walk out of the room he didn't let go of my hand. It shocked me that I didn't want to let go either. When I turned back I locked eyes with him and at that moment it felt like we were connected somehow.

His father had a stern look about him warning me that it would be in my best interest to leave them.

Our hands slowly parted as I reluctantly exited the room. I waited just outside the office in a ridiculously lavish foyer. After twenty minutes I began pacing back and forth anxious to know how what was going on.

By the time the door finally opened I was desperate to know how he was. I wanted to see his face or hold him again, anything to know he was going to make it through this. I know I told him we would do it together and I meant it. The truth was I didn't know how he was going to survive watching his father die.

All he had known since becoming a teenager was the lavish life of a rich kid without a care in the world. That day changed everything. He would have to go from completely carefree to overseeing an estate and powerful company and I wasn't sure how he was going to handle it.

One look at his face and I was taken aback. I left him barely able to hold in the emotions that were overtaking him. The Max that stepped out of that door was vastly different. He was angry, stoic, and altogether a changed man.

His father walked right by us with a generous amount of concern etched into his own face. It took me a moment to assess the situation but as soon as his father was out of sight I walked up to Max and took his hand in mine.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said as he quickly released his hand from my grasp.

He was cold and indifferent and wouldn't even look at me. We were right back where we started in the beginning and I had no idea why. How could he be vulnerable enough to cry on my shoulder one moment and barely acknowledge me the next?

"I am going to have the driver take you home," he informed me.

"Why, what's going on Max?"

"There are just have some things that I need to attend to," he said very matter of factly.

"Max, you don't need to be alone right now. I don't mind staying," I insisted.

He walked right past me as I trailed behind him. When he reached the driver he instructed him to take me home. There was clearly no use in continuing to debate it with him so I relented.

Before I left, I walked up to him once more and pulled him into an embrace. His body was rigid and indifferent. It was like he was an entirely different person than the one I held in my arms in his father's office.

When I pulled away from him, I couldn't shake the feeling that he suddenly felt like a stranger.

"Call me if you need me," I said as I walked away. Something told me that he wouldn't but my heart would not let me leave without saying it.

As soon as the car door shut, I fell apart. All of the emotions of what had just happened overwhelmed me. The whole thing started as a paycheck but somewhere along the way I had started to care for Max. The way he treated me hurt more than it should have and it took me by surprise.

As we pulled away I grabbed my phone and without even thinking started dialing numbers. As soon as he picked up I tried to speak as I choked back tears.

"Chase..." I managed to get out.

"Lillie? What's Wrong?" he asked with his voice full of concern.

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A/N

Why do you think Max suddenly changed? What could have his father have said to him? I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions and thanks for continuing to follow their story.